Teresa S. Stover - Microsoft Project Fundamentals

The closing process also includes documenting processes, archiving files, and conducting a project review, or lessons learned exercise, with the project team before they all move to their next projects. This review process ensures that the project ends as it intentionally began, and that important institutional knowledge is captured to help future projects be more successful.

The waterfall and agile project management methodologies are two major approaches to project management. Both methods are widely used and both are supported by Microsoft Project.

Waterfall project management is also known as traditional project management or the Critical Path Method (CPM) . This method identifies project activities into sequential phases, where each phase depends on the completion of previous phases. Progress flows mostly in one direction, like a waterfall, through the various phases (see Figure 1.3).

FIGURE 1.3 Bars on a Gantt chart illustrate waterfall project management.

More specifically, this method relies on the duration of all activities required to complete the project and the dependencies between those activities. The tasks and their dependencies create multiple paths throughout the project. The longest path is known as the critical path . If any task component on the critical path is delayed, the entire project is also delayed.

The waterfall method or CPM is typically used in manufacturing and construction—that is, in structured physical environments in which changes even early in the project are very expensive.

Agile project management is a type of iterative or incremental project management that allows for more experimentation, exploration, and discovery. Designed for the software industry, it has been adopted in other industries that center on knowledge-based (rather than physically based) creative work.

In work such as software development, the phased waterfall approach is not well suited because requirements are often loosely defined at first, or technologies in use are quickly changing.

In agile or iterative project management, the details of the entire project are not planned from the start. Instead, the plan focuses on iterations, often called sprints . After the start of the project, the iteration or sprint is planned, executed, monitored, controlled, and closed. Each one is like a mini-project within the project. A deliverable, perhaps a prototype or a section of code, is produced at the end of the iteration and offered to the customer or other project sponsor for feedback. Based on that feedback, additional iterations are planned and executed. In this way, the solution the project is seeking evolves through each sprint (see Figure 1.4).

FIGURE 1.4 An agile project uses task board views to schedule project iterations.

Although Microsoft Project was originally designed for the waterfall method, it now highlights features and views designed specifically for agile projects as well.

Although waterfall and agile are the most widely used project management methodologies and the only two discussed in this book, there are several others. Examples include critical chain, earned value management, lean project management, and benefits realization.

As the project manager, you are in the best position to determine which methodology is best for the project under consideration. This determination should be done during the initiating process, when the project scope, resources, and tools are all being defined.

When you know the nature of the project, its requirements, and the team, you'll have a better idea of the best methodology to employ for greater chances of the project's success. You might find yourself advocating for a different methodology, especially if one has been the norm or the trend in your organization but not necessarily the best choice.

The more you expand your knowledge on project management principles and best practices, the more adept and effective you'll become as a project manager.

An especially valuable resource is the Project Management Institute ( PMI© ), a professional association for project managers. It publishes the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK©) and hosts annual conferences and other training opportunities. It administers the Project Management Professional ( PMP© ), Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM©) , and Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM™) certification exams, among several others. Learn more at www.PMI.org.

Learning project management principles and how to use the tools and features in Microsoft Project go hand in hand. Together, they both can help you become a more successful project manager: one who plans deliberately, communicates well, solves problems, balances the triangle, satisfies stakeholders, closes out strong, and moves on to the next project challenge with confidence and enthusiasm.

agile project management

budget

Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM©)

closing process

controlling process

critical path

Critical Path Method (CPM)

equipment

executing process

Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM)

initiating process

knowledge areas

lessons learned

materials

monitoring process

operation

planning process

project

Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK©)

Project Management Institute (PMI©)

Project Management Professional (PMP©)

project manager

project processes

project sponsor

project triangle

resources

scope

sprints

stage

stakeholder

waterfall project management

work breakdown structure (WBS)

1 A nonprofit organization, which has worked with volunteers for many years, has decided to develop the curriculum and materials for a new quarterly volunteer-training program and then train the trainers—the various department heads—in conducting their training modules. Is this considered a project or an operation?It's a project because although it's conducted quarterly, it will be done by different volunteers each time, and possibly by different trainers.It's a project because developing the curriculum and materials for the new training program is a new and unique activity for the organization.It's an operation because it's not unique to the organization, as it has been training and working with volunteers for years.It's an operation because training will be conducted quarterly as part of regular business.

2 A startup technology company has just finished developing its branding and marketing materials, including the design of its e-newsletter. After conducting a pilot and making adjustments with a few test issues, the company is now writing and disseminating the e-newsletter at the first of each month. Is this a project or an operation?It's a project because although the e-newsletters go out monthly, each one contains different content from the previous month.It's a project because the development of the branding and marketing materials had specific start and finish dates.It's an operation because producing the e-newsletter is an ongoing process that happens once every month with no end date.It's an operation because producing the e-newsletter has a start date but no finish date.